Plating machine



Jan. 3, 1939.' J. F. TRUDEAU PLATING MACHINE Filed Jan. 13, 1936 2Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR. @Uffa/dean( f BY ATTORNEYS Jan. 3, 1939.` J F,TRUDEAU 2,142,829 Y PLATING MACHINE i Filed Jan.. 13, 1936 2Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. \/o77n 704646( ATTORNEYS. A

Patented Jan. 3, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE PLATING MACHINE JohnF. Trudeau, Detroit, Mich., assignor toI Udylite Company, Detroit,Mich., a corporation of Indiana Application January I3, 1936, Serial No.58,903

6 Claims.

carriers. It is an object of this invention to provide aconveyer andWork-carrier arrangement in which the spacing of the work-carriers onefrom the other may be very readily achieved both when the machine isrunning as well as when it is not running.

It is also an object of this invention to produce av plating machinewhich will run very easily and efficiently under full loads, achieved byso arranging the conveyer, Work-4 carrier, and conveyer track so that nobinding will .occur between the conveyer and its track during operationof the machine under load. This object has also been achieved byarranging the conveyer. and work-carrier so that they are self-adjustingon the straightawayas well as the curved portions of the track.-

It is another object of this invention to produce a plating machinewhich is simple in structure and efficient in operation. This object hasbeen achieved by making a single rail serve both as thel cathode railand conveyer support rail upon which the work-carriers travel having asliding fit so that the Work-carriers continuously wipe the cathode railto; effect a good contact between the cathode rail and Work-carriers.

In the drawings: Y

Fig. 1 is a perspective showing the complete plating machine. l

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary vertical section through the machine. Y

Fig, 3 is a fragmentary detail showing the conveyer and work-carrier i'nself-adjusted relation with a curved portion of the cathode rail.

Fig. 4 isV a detail of the Work-carrier. Fig. 5 is a detail showing themanner in which the work-carriers may be spaced and coupledwith theconveyer chain.

Fig. 6 is a detail sectional view through the conveyer and work-carriershowing the conveyer and work-carrier adjusted laterally oi theconveyerl This object has beenA (Cl. ZIM- 5) tank I for the platingsolution, an anode rail 2 carried by, land insulated from, the tank Ifor supporting thesoluble metal anodes, an anode lead 3, a cathode raill2, a cathode lead 5, a work conveyer generally -designated 6, and adriving mechanism generallydesignated 1.

Ihe driving mechanism 'I and conveyer 6 may be supported upon the tankby any suitable support. As shown, this support comprises a pair ofangle irons 8 supported at one end of the tank by the member 9 and bythe support members 4D. The angle irons 8 in turn support the dependingmembers I Il which carry the crosswise support members II upon which ismounted the cathode 4rail I2.f As shown, the cathode rail I2 ispreferably a solid copper rod which is circular in crosssection andwhich forms'an endless loop along which the work travels. as the cathoderail in the cathodic .portionof the plating circuit, the cathode railalso servesl an additional function, namely, as a rail 'or track alongwhich the Work-carriers and conveyer chain travel and upon which theyare supported.

The work conveyer comprises the endless chain I3 and the Work-carriersI4. -The endless chain I3, as shown, comprises a plurality of links andis mounted over an idler sprocket I5 at one end of the plating tank Iand over a driving sprocket I6 at the other end of the plating tank. Thesprocket I5 is journaled in suitable support bearing carried by theangle irons 8.- The driving mechanism 'I may be of any suitable make andcomprises an electric motor and gear reduction transmission Which areconnected-in driving relation with the sprocket I6 in any of the wellknown ways.

The endless chain I3 comprises a plurality of 'links I1 which areswivelly connected by the hollow studs 4I and bushings I8 so that thechain is fdexible.4 The hollow studs 4I have a press t connection withthe outer link members I'I and the bushings I8 have a press fit with theinner link members Il. The bushings I8 are freely rotatable about thestuds 4I. The chain is unguided and unsupported except through the work-M carriers I4. The work-carriers I4 comprise a' head portion 23 and ahook portion 28 for en gagement with the work, either directly, orindirectly through an additional work-carrier.- The underside of thehead portion 23 forms a bearing surface I9 which is curved andpreferably cylindrical or arcuate in form so that it will contactthroughout its entire area with the cylindrical surface of the cathoderail I2. The upper face of the head 23 forms a rbearing surface 20 Inaddition to serving upon which the conveyer chain I3 is supported. Thehead 23 also carries a pin 2l which is arranged to project into anaxial. opening 22 in the hollow stud li of the chain. The pin 2ipreferably has a oating t in the opening 22 and to this end a smallclearance of about -116 of an inch is provided between the pin 2l andopening 22.

As shown in Fig. 2, the work 2d will normally be supported on the hook23 so that a vertical plane passing through the point at which the workis supported upon the hook 28, the longitudinal axis of the cathode railI2, and the vertical longitudinal axis of the pin 2l Will bisect thebearing I9 so that one half of the bearing I9 will lie on each -side ofthe longitudinal axis of the cathode rail I2. In Fig. 6, forillustrative purposes, the work 215 is mounted on the end 2li of. thework-carrier hook 2B thereby swinging the work-carrier Id ,severaldegrees in a counterclockwise direction about the cathode rail I2, but

since the 4hearing Ill has a cylindrical surface there will be nobinding between the bearing surface I9 and the cylindrical surface ofthe cathode rail I2. Although inA actual practice the work 2A would notbe mounted on the end'25 of the work-carrier Il, the showing in Fig. 6

illustrates the fact that the work-carrier canbe swung about the cathoderail I2 through several degrees due to the flexibility of the chain I3and at the same time no binding will occur between the work-carrierbearing I9 and the cathode rail I2. In those instances where the workswings the work-carrier but a few degrees more or less, the floating tpermitted by the clearance between the pin ZI and socket 22 will permitthis swing without flexing the chain I3.

Hou/ever, where the Work swings the holder through several degrees, thepin 2l will contact the face yof the socket 22 and thereby flex or cantthe chain I3, as shown in Fig. 6. However, it will be noted that thiscanting of the chain will not in anywise cause any binding between thefixed cathode rail I2 and the bearing surface I9 of the holders Ill. Inthe fabrication of a long rod such as the cathode rail I2, it isdifficult to make itperfectly straight. Also during the operation of theplating machine while traveling around the curved ends of. the cathoderail the workcarriers have a tendencyto swivel about the cathode rail.As the chain I3 leaves either of the sprockets I5 or I6, it has atendency to follow the sprocket or move inwardly of -the cathode railthus again causing the work-carriers to swivel about the cathode railI2. The floating mounting of the work-carriers Id upon the cylindricalcathode ran-I2 prevents any binding due to any of the above-mentionedconditions obtaining in this type of a plating machine.

As shown in Fig. 5, the carriers Il can be very easily coupled oruncoupled with the chain I3 both while the chain I3 is in motion as wellas when it is at resfl by merely raising the chain upwardly andinserting the pin 2i into the socket 22 or removing the pin 2l from thesocket 22. This simple coupling relation between the carriers I4 and thechain I3 permits the operator to very easily space one carrier from theother whatever distance required or desired depending upon the nature ofthe work being plated.

Since the cathode rail I2 also serves as a support rail for, thecarriers Il and the chain I3, the structure of the machine is simplifiedin that the need for an additional cathode rail and contact for thework-carriers is obviated. At the same timethe work-carriers I4, as theyslide along the aiaaeae rail, wipe its surface and continuously effectan excellent electrical contact with the rail.

It will be noted that the work-carriers I4 are the sole support andguides for the chain I3. The carriers I4 in effect serve as shoes whichsupport the chain I3 and slide along the cathode rail I2. Due to thefact that the bearing surface I9 is cylindrical or arcuate' to conformto the cylindrical surface of the cathode rail I2, the chain is kept inalignment with, and above, the cathode rail I2 and this arcuate bearingcontact between the cathode rail and work-carrier head 23 preventslateral displacement of the chain I3 to one or the other side of therail I2. The length of the bearing surface I9 will be determined byVarious factors, one in'particular of which is the radius of the arc ofany curve in the cathode rail I2 which the bearing I9 must negotiate. Ofnecessity, the length of the bearing I9 should be sufficiently short sothat when it travels along a curve, as shown in Fig. 3, it will not digin to the inside face of a curve in the cathode rail I2. Preferably, asshown in Fig. 3, the head 23 of the work support is curved rearwardlyfromits leading point or edge 26 and inwardly as at 21. The leadingpoint or edge 26 is in a plane which bisects the arcuate bearing surfaceI9. Thus, as the carrier travels in the direction of the arrow, Fig. 3,the portion of the bearing vsurface I9 on the inside portion of thecurve on the cathode rail will not dig in.

I claim: y l ll In an electroplating machine, a rail, a -plurality ofwork-carriers supported upon, and arranged to travel along, the saidrail, a flexible chain for moving the said work-carriers along the saidrail, said chain being freely movable upwardly from said rail, and acoupling between the work-carriers and the chain freely disconnectableby moving thel chain upwardly from the said rail. 1

2. In an electroplating machine, a rail, a plurality of work-carrierssupported upon, and arranged to travel along, the said rail, a iiexiblechain for moving the said work-carriers along the said rail, said chainbeing freely movable upwardly from said rail, a pin and socket couplingbetween the said work-carrier and chain whereby the work-carrier can beeasily .disconnected from the chain by moving the chain upwardly fromthe f rail to withdraw the pin from the said socket.

\3. In an electroplating machine, a rail, a plurality of work-carriers'supported upon, and arranged to travel along, the said rail, a flexiblechain for moving the said work-carriers along the said rail, said chainbeing freely movable upwardly and away from said rail, a pin carried bythe said Work-carrier, and a socket in the said chain arranged toreceive the said pin whereby the said pin is operatively connected indriving relation with the said work-carriers and freely disconnectableby moving the chain upwardly.

4. In a plating machine, a rail, a work-carrier slidably mounted uponthe said rail and freely movable transversely of said rail, a flexiblechain supported by the said work-carrier for propelling the work carriedalong the said rail, said chain being freely movable upwardly from saidrail, and a oating separable connection between the said chain andwork-carrier whereby the said work-carrier can swing laterally about thesaid rail within the limits of the floating connection without cantingthe said conveyer chain and said chain can be disconnected from saidwork carrier by moving the chain upwardly.

5. In an electro-plating machine, a rail, a exible chain mounted abovethe said rail and freely movable upwardly from said rail, a plurality ofwork-carriers slidably mounted upon the said rail between the chainandrail, disconnectable pin and socket connections between the saidchain and work-carriers whereby the chain propels the Work-carriersalong the rail, the said chain being ilexibie whereby the same can beraised above the said rail to disconnect the pin and socket connectionsbetween the said work-'carriers and chain and permit the work-carriersto be moved along the said cathode rail to change their spacings, themovement of the chain back toward the rail serving to reconnect the pinand socket connections between the chain and the work-carriers.

6. In an electroplating machine, a rail, a flexible chain mounted abovethe said rail comprising a plurality of links and pins for swivellyconnecting the said links, each of said pins having an opening therein,a plurality of work-carriers slidably mounted upon the said rail betweenthe chain antNhe rail for supporting the said chain, each of the saidwork-carriers having a pin arranged to engage an opening in one of thepins of the said chain whereby the said chain can be moved away from thesaid support rail to withdraw the work-carrierv pin from the opening inthe said chain and thereby permit the spacing between the carriers to bechanged, the movement of the chain toward the rail serving to reinsertthe work-carrier pin in an opening in one of the chain pins to reconnectthe carrier and the chain.

JOHN F. TRUDEAU.

